I have spent a bit of time on the new version of the FL and its slightly different animal to the trigger but shares some of the good traits. Im not a fan of big kites and usually a 12m is the biggest kite i ride, i weight 80kgs and have ridden the FL with my standard 135 board i ride in all conditions.

The FL is a fun kite to ride, its fast for big kite and nice bar pressure so you can feel where the kite is even in light winds. It turns about 40% faster than the X19 spleene and can go in just as light wind. i recently flew it against a guy who had the newest ozone zephyr who was riding a fairly large board compared to mine the FL kept me upwind and doing tricks no worries even on a non lightwind board it was as low as 10kots and as high as 14knts.

things i dont like....
two colour choices.....ugh just do one colour like the trigger!
well its a large kite, it is going to be slower than your 9m.
its called a fat lady, girls give me funny looks when i say i have a date with a fat lady (apparently thats politically incorrect)
takes longer to pump than my 9m

In short the FL is light for an inflatable, its very fast for a large kite with small bar (52cm compared to most others who use a 60cm bar).
i prefer to ride a small kite end of story but if i have not had a kite in a week or two the FL will get you on the water and doing unhooked tricks, jumps and even fun kiteloops.

if being on the water having fun while everyone else is watching i don't want to be right!

I'm considering a FL or a 17m Cloud, I know the Cloud can stay in the sky through the lightest of lulls.

I know that i almost dnt feel any wind in my face and the kites stays in the air, maybe with 3 knots, dont have power to ride, but if the wind is stable the kite keeps in the air with really light winds

I know the 2013 rocks, for what I've been reading on the thread, but I have a chance to pick up either a new 2012 complete for about $300 less than what a kite only 2013 costs or even lower if I decide to go kite only on the 2012.

Does it make sense to go with the 2012 for the economics or is the 2013 that much better, perhaps I should just wait and save some more.

I could really use a kite to get me out in those marginal days.

Also for what I read, although great construction, this isn't a kite built to receive some serious freestyle abuse, but if I wanted toplay around on some basic moves, and tomahwak this thing a few times, am I gona kill it? not planning on doing any freestyle or anything with it, but how about working on back/front loops, I'm trying unhooking, that sort of thing.

pixelpedro wrote:
Also for what I read, although great construction, this isn't a kite built to receive some serious freestyle abuse, but if I wanted toplay around on some basic moves, and tomahwak this thing a few times, am I gona kill it? not planning on doing any freestyle or anything with it, but how about working on back/front loops, I'm trying unhooking, that sort of thing.

I got the original FL and tomahwack it a lot, still good

although worth to mention that i avoid to pump it up super hard, and also only close the 1 pump clip that goes to the mid strut, the others I leave them open

valves unglued was the only thing I had to take care, but then it is to be expected
as I leave my material in the car while at work and summer around here could go as high ~40ºC